#50for50 to Ring in a New Decade

A few years ago, a friend of mine had a wonderful plan to visit 50 new places before her 50th birthday. As my milestone birthday is approaching next year, I was inspired by her idea, but with a different twist. Given all the traveling I do as an expat, I know how hard it is to visit 50 new places in a 12 month window, so I decided to expand on her idea by having new experiences not just locations.

If there is one thing making an international move has taught me, it’s that life is so much richer when you are pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. And true to the nature of why I started this blog, you don’t have to have big, grand events to experience change. Sometimes that simple “unexpected” moment can bring about the same result.

So, for the next year, I’m going out on a limb and saying yes to lots of new stuff. I want to try things I’ve always been interested in. I want to make myself uncomfortable by taking a leap of faith into an activity or place that is not in my normal wheelhouse. I want to take advantage of all the wonderful things that are available to me by living in the world’s greatest city.

I’m going to track it all here, so join me as I ring in a new decade with #50for50!

#50for50

Evensong at Westminster Abbey: I’ve always heard about these services, but had never been to one. It’s a great way to see the beautiful cathedrals of Europe without the massive crowds. (1 of 50)

Bellydancing at a Lebanese restaurant: This one was completely outside of my comfort zone! I promise you, that is laughter in the photo to the right, not tears. But it was a really good reminder so early into this process that sometimes you can have a lot of fun putting yourself out there. (2 of 50)

Knitting class: Chunky yarn arm knitting class has been completed and a lovely blue throw blanket is now in my possession. Maybe not a regular activity, but am wondering if I can apply what I learned to regular knitting. Hmmm… (3 of 50)

MacGyvering my way through Thanksgiving: When renting a townhouse that doesn’t have a can opener, you need to get creative cooking Thanksgiving dishes. I channeled my inner MacGyver and chiseled open four cans of green beans for Christian’s favorite Thanksgiving dish. Good to know I can be resourceful when I need to be! (4 of 50)

Dinner at an igloo along the Thames: The tables are hard to come by, but we managed to secure a table for 8 to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Pretty, cozy and private for lots of loud American laughter by the Thames. (5 of 50)

New Country – Wales: This was a kicker. Had to turn around and go home after only being in the country for 20 minutes, but we got a picture of the welcome sign, set foot on soil and bought a coffee, so in my book in counts! (6 of 50)

Morocco: The trip to Morocco was so special on many levels. The warmth and hospitality just enveloped us and I’m finding the more I stretch myself in visiting new places so different to my own, the more fulfilled I feel. This one ticked many new experience boxes, so here we go –

New Country (7 of 50)

New Continent (8 of 50)

Riding a mule up the Atlas Mountains (9 of 50)

Hot Air Balloon ride at sunrise (10 of 50)

Discovering new London neighborhoods: Leading the Love London tours for AWBS has me exploring London all the time. Recently it seems as if I’m learning new things about places I’ve already been, so it’s nice to get out on my own and discover some of the new neighborhoods that make London such a great city.

Bermondsey and Maltby Street Market (11 of 50)

Croydon and Bromley (17 of 50)

Learned to Make Fresh Croissants: Bread Ahead offers an incredible array of baking and patisserie classes at it’s headquarters in Borough Market. I decided I wanted to learn how to make fresh croissants and, oh yum, it did not disappoint. Not difficult to do, it just requires patience and a bit of time. The key ingredient? French butter and lots of it! (12 of 50)

Buying a House in Another Country: We decided we are going to be in the UK for the foreseeable future so it was time to purchase property here. It is definitely a new experience buying property in another country. New process, terminology, procedures, financing – all of it! (13 of 50)

Portobello Road Market: For all the years I’ve been to/lived in London, I’d never visited Portobello Road Market. On Saturday, I happened to be in that area of town, so I decided to stop by and check it out. Honest answer? I was definitely underwhelmed. The antique shops might be worth a closer look on a less crowded day, but the market stalls were so touristy. If you are looking for a proper English market I’d highly recommend Greenwich on a Saturday or Spitalfields for a great combination of food and stalls. (14 of 50)

The Churchill Arms: This iconic pub is always on every Top 20 list for travellers mostly because of its over-the-top outside decorations that catch the eye of anyone on the street. As we were in the Notting Hill area, we decided to pop in and get some lunch. The pub is also know for its Thai menu – not your usual pub grub – and I will say, it is some of the best Thai food I have ever had. The Massaman curry was outstanding. Well worth the visit if you are in the area. (15 of 50)

Global pandemic: COVID-19 is a new experience for us all. Hoping for happier and healthier days ahead for everyone. (16 of 50)

Three weeks into pandemic lockdown procedures and “normal” definitely has a new meaning. This is not at all how I was expecting my 50 for 50 challenge to go and I’m sad about it. BUT, I originally wrote this blog about finding unexpected travel moments, so let’s go with unexpected pandemic inspired new experiences for now.

Cooking every night of the week. We go out to eat a lot. Much of it to socialize, but sometimes it’s just takeout as a break from the busy day. (18 of 50)

Discovering that I actually enjoy cooking when I have the time to do it. Right now, planning the family’s dinner every night is a more fulfilling experience than I was expecting. Yes, there are nights I want a break, but I think deep down making sure my family is fed is an act of love and shows how I can care for them. My love language is “acts of service” so this makes a lot of sense. (19 of 50)

Buy a sewing machine. (20 of 50) I’ve always liked the idea of being able to sew, but have never really had the inspiration to sit down and take it up. Guess what? Necessity is the mother of invention. Since face masks are so scarce and desperately needed by the medical professionals, I found a pattern online to make cloth ones for our family. I did the first one by hand, and after nearly 2 hours, decided, even with an abundance of time, this was not a good use of time. Now, I’ve made four masks for the four of us and can add another new experience to my list. (21 of 50)

Grocery shopping. It’s a new experience going out to buy groceries. So many of the online delivery services are overwhelmed right now. I felt lucky to get one Ocado delivery a week ago, so we stocked up the best we could and got groceries for my 86 year old MIL. I’ve also visited Costco and it was a very easy experience. The store is huge, so there is plenty of room to space people out and they had everything I needed (minus eggs). I was in and out within an hour. I kept a roll of paper towels and some Dettol in my car so I could spray down the packages before I put them in my car. Once I got home, we created clean/dirty spaces and cleaned everything again. Fruits and veg get washed in soapy water for 20 seconds, just like washing our hands. Once everything is clean and dry, it all gets put away. With two young men in the house who pass the time by working out, keeping food in the house is a challenge. The Costco shop paid off as we still have plenty of food nearly a week later. (22 of 50)

Watching all 11 Star Wars movies back-to-back over 11 nights. For those who are curious, chronologically starting with Episode 1 and spin-offs included. (23 of 50)

Seven Sisters Cliffs: As we have had lockdown restrictions eased, we’ve been able to start taking day trips in the car. First visit was to Seven Sisters Cliffs just east of Brighton. A stunning series of white cliffs overlooking the English Channel and deceptively hilly. A beautiful sunny day and a new place to visit made for an excellent mental health day. (24 of 50)